Migration
Fire destroys Kaiserslautern bar popular with Americans
Stars and Stripes
May 3, 2016
Firefighters inspect the Hannenfass restaurant in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on Tuesday, May 3, 2016. The restaurant caught fire around 2:15 a.m. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation. (Michael B. Keller/Stars and Stripes)
Firefighters inspect the Hannenfass restaurant in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on Tuesday, May 3, 2016. The restaurant caught fire around 2:15 a.m. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation. (Michael B. Keller/Stars and Stripes)
Firefighters work to completely extinguish a fire at the Hannenfass restaurant in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on Tuesday, May 3, 2016. (Michael B. Keller/Stars and Stripes)
First responders stand by as firefighters work to completely extinguish a fire at the Hannenfass restaurant in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on Tuesday, May 3, 2016. (Michael B. Keller/Stars and Stripes)
A crowd watches as fire-fighting operations continue at the Hannenfass restaurant in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on Tuesday, May 3, 2016. The restaurant caught fire early in the morning due to an unknown cause. (Michael B. Keller/Stars and Stripes)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — A Kaiserslautern bar frequented by Americans was destroyed by fire early Tuesday morning.
The fire most likely broke out around 2:15 a.m. at the Hannenfass, according to Kaiserslautern police spokesman Wolfgang Denzer. The establishment, which is located in the downtown pedestrian area near St. Martin’s plaza, was known for serving “a meter of beer,” a wooden tray filled with about a dozen glasses of beer.
Denzer said the fire burned all the way to the top of the building, and from there it jumped to the roof of two neighboring buildings. Thirty-seven people living in apartments in the area have been evacuated, he said. No one was injured in the blaze.
The damage to the buildings is extensive, so much so that “there is a danger that the buildings can collapse,” Denzer said.
Firefighting operations were to expected to continue throughout Tuesday, Denzer said, adding that the blaze has been extinguished but there are still hot spots that could trigger another fire.
He estimated the damage to be at least $850.000, if not, several million dollars.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation.